Harry Maguire and Eric ten Hag
Manchester United’s players must take responsibility for their run of poor form instead of pinning the blame on under-fire manager Erik ten Hag, according to Harry Maguire.
Ten Hag’s job was on the line ahead of the trip to Aston Villa yesterday after a disappointing start to the season which has yielded just three wins from nine games.
The pressure on Ten Hag mounted further on Thursday when United threw away a two-goal lead to draw 3-3 with FC Porto in the Europa League.
But Maguire insists the focus should be on the players rather than the manager.
“As a footballer, it’s easy to look around and blame other people and blame your teammate or blame the staff or the tactics,” Maguire said.
“You’ve got to look at yourself. We’re the ones that go on the pitch. We’re the ones that have to defend. You’ve got to take responsibility.”
Sources have told ESPN that Ten Hag could face the sack if his team had lost at Villa Park yesterday.
United did the double over Villa last season — winning 2-1 at Villa Park in February — and Maguire believed a similar result yesterday could finally kick-start their season.